I'm working on becoming a complete vegetarian. Right now, I guess I would classify myself as a pescatarian as I occasionally eat fish. Eating mainly fruits and vegs has given me more energy, better sleep and an abundance of benefits. I highly recommend it for those who want to improve their health. Plus the meat they sell in the store is contaminated and I truly believe is leading to many of the cancers and diseases in our nation. And I hate what is being done to the animals. It is criminal.

I have not found travel to be a problem - even the little road trip stores stock hummus and veggies now! Spark Recipes has LOTS of veggie recipes! People I have met from big beef producing states have become vegetarians because of the things they see there!

Reading your posts has been inspirational for me. I am not vegetarian yet. I lean toward it because meat is so expensive, I am not a big meat lover and I too hate the animal abuse. I live in a big beef-producing state and my dh is a meat eater. Still, I opt for meatless more and more. My question is how do you manage travel? We sometimes have to make long trips to visit family and I don't want to eat side salad all the time. Nor do I want to pack all my meals. Are there good vegetarian recipes on SparkRecipes?

Also thinking of getting a juicer. Any thoughts on which brand to buy or features to look for? Or does it matter? I will probably look at Walmart first. I don't want to spend a fortune.

Hi! My name is Desiree. I became a vegetarian last year in February, and my sister helped lead me to the decision to become a vegan this last February, and I haven't regretted the decision. The main reason I made the choice was because I didn't think that 5 minutes of eating pleasure was worth an animal suffering or dying. I also have looked into the way animals are treated in the food industry, and it's truly not worth it to eat that food. I've grown to love vegan food, and I feel better that I have made the choice to take care of God's creation in a way that I believe is pleasing to Him. :)

Hello, my name is Bonnie and I'm brand new at being vegan. I've been vegetarian before (tried it for 6 months years ago) went back to meat, but have never really been a big meat eater. I'm so glad to have found this team, I'm a born again christian since 2008. I have decided to become vegan for many reasons. It's really hard to enjoy meat knowing how animals are being treated. I think its horrific and I don't believe God intended for us to treat his creatures this way. Also, been reading a lot from Fuhrman and Campbell and others who have healed themselves from many illnesses, and it just makes sense to live on a whole foods plant based diet. I've had intestinal pain for years, even though I quit drinking milk about 11 years ago. I've been having issues with tinea versicolor which is a skin disease (which is actually getting better in the short time I've been eating this way) I also haven't been able to lose weight eating any other way. My clothes already fit a little better, I have more energy, I sleep better now and my food cravings are almost always for healthy fruits or veggies.

I became a vegan over the summer this year (2013) when I learned I had a lymphatic blockage. Eating lots of fruits and vegetables and exercising can help to clear the blockage. I saw Vegucated and learned about how God's creatures were being consistently tortured and decided I just don't want any part of it. I'm losing weight and getting healthier and I love being a Christian vegan. I truly feel closer to God and more in tune with my place in creation if that makes sense.

I would say it's been a process. Our family first watched 'Food, Inc.' a couple of years ago, and it definitely influenced, to a degree, our meat purchases. We strove to buy organic, grass-fed (beef), and 'free from' products.

More recently, we have watched 'Forks Over Knives' and 'Vegucated' and my husband has read Dr. T Colin Campbell's China Study. I also read 'The E2 Diet' and 'My Beef with Meat' , both by Rip Esselstyn, and am starting to read 'Good News for All Creation' by Stephen Kaufman and Nathan Braun. My daughter also took a food and nutrition course in high school this year, where she saw 'Forks Over Knives' and started to change her thinking about food and diet.

While initially our primary thought was to eat for better health, as a preventative to heart disease, cancer, and other conditions, my husband is particularly also disturbed about government and health organizations - and the food industry - that have been keeping information from the public for political and/or financial gain. I believe are also moved by the plight of the billions of animals that are being inhumanely treated and violently slaughtered each year. This is not God's design!

I do own some leather and wool items and see no point in discarding what was purchased at a different stage in my life, since these are still useful...

Edited by: WRITERCHICK at: 6/20/2013 (11:58)

"Rather than aiming for being perfect, just aim to be little bit better today than you were yesterday." ~Author unknown

Hello everyone! =) My name is Becky and I have only been vegan a few weeks now and honestly even though my page says I have been a member of sp for about a year I have only gone active recently. (I signed up because of my Nutrition teachers assignments) Studying nutrition really started me wanting to go vegan because of the health benefits that I saw. I obviously saw some risks as well but learned ways to alleviate them. The main reason I decided to go vegan was because of the three main killers that are in my family which are cancer, diabetes, and cvd which are on both my mother and father's side. We lost dad this past December because of an aneurysm and mom has been in and out of the hospital over the years due to her heart. She also has a history of cancer but she won that battle thank the Lord! I do not want to go down the same path as that. Working in the medical field has shown me what these diseases can do so I am doing my best to go the other direction. So after reading everything I could from my book and the internet I decided that I would make the change. It hasn't been that difficult for me but I did have one big bump in the road but quickly got back on track. I was a vegetarian for a little over a year a few years ago because a friend of mine was advised to go vegan due to her health and I told her I would do it with her. The biggest obstacle I face is when people invite me over for dinner I don't want to be extra trouble or to offend them for not eating what they prepare. That was what the big bump in the road was that I was talking about. I had stopped eating meat for a few weeks then ate some to be polite. I know what y'all were talking about when you say you got sick. I don't care to ever eat another piece of meat after the night I had following that experience. Anyway I am sorry this has gotten so long. I will get off here. Good luck to each of you and thanks for letting me ramble a bit. =)

Hi! I rejoined this group because I am back to being a vegetarian--mostly vegan but not completely vegan. I had started eating chicken again but I got sick when I was eating it so I feel so much better when I eat vegetarian. I am going more and more toward being a vegan but I have not given up my love for greek yogurt yet.

I actually started vegetarian because of much Prayer to The LORD. I needed HIS DIRECTION of what to eat. I was sick and tired of being sick and tired. Also, my Diabetes was getting out of control and I did not want that to happen.

I have been reading Dr. Neal Barnard's Program for Reversing Diabetes book. I am thinking I will be a vegan really soon. I want to get my diabetes under control or reverse it! I know I can do this with The LORD!

at first, i became a vegetarian/vegan because i was attempting to get the heart of Daniel and his friends. they lived solely on vegetables, and they were in better health then the other king's men in the book! (daniel 1:5-16). this was a heart where no matter what God demanded they do, and how afraid they were, they had the heart to do it--even if it would cost them their lives. i wanted that courage. i wanted that strength. i still kept my fruit, though, tying it to the new testament, of "fruits of the spirit" idea..

so i had very high cholesterol. i had sugar issues. i have 2 parents with diabetes, and 2 grandparents die of diabetes. i had chronic ibs, too, and that was the most miserable of all this "stuff".

God answered many prayers with many personal gut wrenching issues that were going on in my life. and one day, i woke up, and realized that in addition to these "issues" my body was no where near where i was. the doctor moved me from checking the cholesterol every 4 months to yearly. i no longer had to take sugar tests. the only time i became gaseous is when someone slips--and i mean it, they slipped--dairy into my meals. i don't shy from nuts, seeds, lentils, avocados, peanuts. many people say that this is all high in fat. but do you know, every single week but one week, i have lost weight? every one. i was worried about how cranky i would be, so i continued to take a multi-vitamin.

about animals. it was really never about that for me. one time one of my children came home saying they had seen food inc, at school. so we watched it on netflix. we were to the point where they showed the cows in the hammock type settings and i made my husband stop the movies and warned him: "you do realize that if you make me continue to watch this movie, i will change what/how we shop. right? are you ready for that?" and my husband said: "that's why i want you to watch the movie." though my family still eats meat, it has been organic, grain fed--even my dogs and cats eat organic and non processed! lol! but i am the only one going vegan.

it is pure God, all of this. i could not believe how miserable i was, until i felt better! and i don't go hungry! there is a vegetable out there for everything and anything i need, when it comes to nutrients.

if i typed any more, i'd be rambling more than i already did. and i don't want any of this to take from the fact i will repeat over and over again: this is all God.

Edited by: LADYHOLYOAK at: 11/12/2012 (23:51)

"so whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." 1 cor 10:31

"therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that so easily entangles, and let us run w/perseverance the race marked out for us." Hebrews

Welcome, Ro! Have you read The China Study, by T. Colin Campbell? It might help you figure out the protein "problem" your doctors are worried about. I wish your doctors would read it! It must be difficult having so many food restrictions :( GERD is an awful issue to deal with. Hang around here, and we'll answer any questions you have and help you along your vegetarian journey!

Kristie

Team Leader: Christian Vegetarians and Vegans

"Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seeds in it. They will be yours for food." Gen 1:29

I have become vegetarian twice and both times, my psych team has told me to go back to eating meat, because I was not getting enough protein, and for me, that makes my depression and fugue states worse.

In 2011 I had my gallbladder removed and my body lets me know in very loud language what it will and will not deal with. Raw veggies became a no-no, which was okay for me, because I only ate salads every once and a while. Some of the things that upset my stomach are just weird and my GERD, is just plain ridiculous!! I can eat tomato based, chili or soup, but if I have tomato based italian food, my stomach and GERD go crazy. I have to make all italian food with alfredo sauce, which has caused me to get creative in the kitchen.

I have worked back up to being able to eat pinto, navy and kidney beans. I am lactose intolerant so I have always used soymilk, except yogurt and some chesses are fine. I guess I have finally figured out what I can and can't eat and since I can eat beans again. I want to try being vegetarian again.

I felt so good emotionally when I was not eating meat. As trite as it might sound, I felt less agressive and could find my balance a lot easier. And I was not continually worrying about catching something from my food because I didn't cook it enough or it was contaminated to begin with.

So, I thought I would find a good group first and when I get paid on the first of the month, prepare to eat vegetarian. Playing close attention to my protein intake. I haven't been doing great getting enough with meat as a part of my diet, I seldom make my range, but I exceed my fat at least 3-4 days a week. So, this is a chance to do what makes me feel good ethically, what is good for my body and to like someone else said, " stop making food my idol".

I look forward to getting to know you all!! God Bless!!

Ro

Leader - Fighting Agoraphobia

God determines who walks into your life… its up to you, to decide who you let walk away, who you let stay, and who you refuse to let go.

You can only move forward in life when you stop looking backward to the past.

Hi Everybody! I'm new to the group and wanted to make my introductions...

My name is Gloria and I am a vegan 99% of the time (if I eat out, I'll settle for vegetarian because there are few options for me where I live). I live in South Texas. I have been married to my highschool sweetheart George for 20 years as of July 31st and we have a 19 year old son named Andrew.

I stumbled upon a show on PBS last year with Dr. Neal Barnard, explaining the virtues of eating vegan. I was interested and ordered the book and signed up for the "21 - Day Vegan Kickstart" in April of 2011. I was able to reach the goal and felt fantastic. But I wasn't ready to make such a drastic, permanent change then.

Fast - forward to now and I have been eating completely vegan for almost 8 weeks now! Most people do it for the love of animals, but I have done it as a self sacrifice for the Lord. You see, food is my drug of choice. My false idol...I read the book "You Are Not What You Weigh" by Lisa Bevere and it changed my life and the way I eat for good! I have several Vegan cookbooks and my family eats whatever I make (they are not vegan). There are only 2 places in town to eat that are vegan friendly so we don't eat out very often.

Now that I have the eating thing down, I'm working on the exercise! I go to Zumba 2 - 3 times a week and I'm trying to figure out what to do on my off days (I want to ride my bike soon and I have workout dvds as well).

Read 'The Kind Diet' and that basically got things going. From then on I've been focused on living a veggie lifestyle. Still struggle a bit when visiting people that just hand you a plate of food with meat on (and they usually take offence when you decline). But I'm getting there

I always wanted to be a vegetarian, because I love animals. When I was a child my mother told me that if you didn't eat meat you would die - and I think she believed it! When I was in my twenties I came across an issue of Vegetarian Times and found out she was mistaken. I educated myself and made the change gradually over a few months. My husband joined me, and we raised our children as vegetarians. Oddly I kept getting fatter and my husband and children are very healthy. When we moved to our farm 8 years ago we decided to raise our own chickens so we would know that our eggs come from a very humane source. Recently I have cut most cheese out of my diet and that has made a big difference in my weight loss efforts. Who knew? Now my parents eat vegetarian meals a few times a week. My daughter eats fish, and is raising her son a pescetarian. Her husband eats meat out sometimes. My son did not stay a vegetarian, but he is comfortable with it when he is home. And look mom - none of us have died from it!

My dr. wanted me to go on a vegetarian diet because my chol is kinda high, but not enough to put me on meds yet. However, since going vegetarian, I had an experience where I ended up with nothing to eat at a restaruarnt and HAD to order a sandwich with meat. It used to be one of my favorite sandwiches (roast beef) but had to stop 3/4 of the way through the sandwich--I realized I didn't like it any more!! Then, 10 min after eating it, I was still at the restaurant and got REALLY sick!! I can no longer handle meat, after only a month of trying to give it up--my body no longer accepts it. This is, I think, a good thing.

I am actually Pescatarian-I do eat fish/seafood. Back in my teens I was vegeatrian (it was very difficult back then-not too many options).I went back to being a meateater-my exhusband & sons love meat-but now that my sons are grown,I thought why am I still doing this? The reason I don't eat meat is mainly that I love animals & hate the cruelty involved. Also,the diet I follow is recommended for people with RA. I am excited to hear there is a Christian Vegetarian Assoc!

"It's not the mountains ahead that wear you out-it's the grain of sand in your shoe"-unknown

I quit eating beef in high school, because it is gross! I was still eating fish & chicken, but looking at it started grossing me out, too!! Now, in all of these years, I've studied nutrition & learned just how bad it is for us! Plus, I've learned some pretty disgusting things about some of the foods we eat! Yuk BTW: in the Bible, we weren't supposed to eat meat! It wasn't until AFTER the flood that we did & did you notice that before the flood, people lived to be in the high hundreds, after the flood, people quit living as long!!! I don't have proof, but believe this has something to do with that!

In an effort to get to know each other, I thought it would be fun to tell our stories about becoming vegetarians and/or vegans. I'll start with mine...

My reasons are many, and have evolved over the years. The first reason was weight loss. It all started when I read a book by Marilu Henner. She talked about her weight loss journey, and how a diet based mostly on plants allowed her to lose weight and feel better. Her words really spoke to me. I gave up red meat and pork immediately, and soon after, chicken and turkey.

The next reason I wanted to clean up my diet was my cholesterol; it has always been high. For four months, I ate completely vegan, and my cholesterol dropped 50 points! (Unfortunately, cheese and eggs crept back into my life.)

I never thought I'd be one of those crazy animal-rights activists (and I'm still not), but in my investigation of vegetarian blogs, I couldn't help but stumble across animal cruelty videos and commentaries. I instantly knew I couldn't contribute to that anymore.

Health in general is another reason I gave up my carnivorous ways. Learning about all the hormones and antibiotics that are given to factory-farmed animals was horrifying. I couldn't afford to buy my family organically-raised meat, so that meant the "regular" stuff had to go.

Probably the most important reason meat left my life is my Christianity. I found a website written by the Christian Vegetarian Association, and it sealed the deal for me. Realizing that killing animals for food was not God's original plan for humans touched my heart. If you really want to hear me get spun up, just tell me that God put animals on the earth for us to eat. My blood pressure is going up just thinking about it!! www.all-creatures.org/cva/default.htm

My husband and two daughters are not vegetarian. Of course, I wish they were. It makes things difficult sometimes. But my hubby has been wonderful. He's the main cook in our house, so he took it on as a challenge to cook tasty meals for me. The only time he complains is if I'm on a vegan kick. He has a hard time cooking without dairy (especially cheese!)

So, that's my story! Now let's hear yours...

Kristie

Team Leader: Christian Vegetarians and Vegans

"Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seeds in it. They will be yours for food." Gen 1:29

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